Category Archives: Internet

Stuff, as it were, on the world wide intarweb.

Here and There II

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Recently a Baha’i was inspired from discussions on Talisman to begin a group dedicated to formulating Alternative Learning Institutions. I’m glad to pitch in with a few measely ideas of my own in the hopes of contributing to its success. Its necessary to go beyond criticisim (however well deserved) and demonstrate a clear alternative that is better than the status quo. The only thing that will overcome the inertia of apathy and the group think of top-down imposed Ruhi institutionalization is the success of an alternative. I don’t think this is a particularly difficult challenge since Ruhi is now in its 5th year of world wide implementation and it has yet to show any significant evidence of efficacy. If you want to be part of this endeavour, you can join the Alternative Learning Institute Yahoo!Group.

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A new website, the Heyday, has been created by and for the Baha’i youth of Australia. It looks pretty comprehensive with not only current events but multimedia, a few regular columns, discussion forums and even an advice column by ‘Ace’. Its similar to Baha’i Youth (the US site) as well as the now defunct MJBaha’i (the Latin American site). Needless to say, you don’t have to be an Australian youth to use it. So if you know a Baha’i youth who would benefit, point them in the right direction.

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There are quite alot of Baha’i related websites with new ones popping up every day it seems. But it is very confusing when you see one that purports to be one thing and then is something entirely another. Take for example the bizarre Yahoo!Group: Afghan Baha’i. In its introductory blurb it says “In this Website you will learn more about AFGHAN BAHA’IS…”

Along with many other Baha’is I am interested to know how the Baha’is are doing there after such a harrowing time under the oppression of the Taliban. So, silly me, I joined and hoped to find out some good news about the renewed activities and freedoms they enjoy. I was baffled when the only thing that appeared, day after day, week after week and month after month, was the reposting of Baha’i World News Service stories – which had nothing to do with Afghan Baha’is, inside or outside Afghanistan. But don’t bother trying to point out the inanity of the whole thing. Apparently the creator and moderator of the group is completely immune to logic.

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It’s dead, Jim.

I’m. Sorry. I. Really am.

Just like you, I hoped that Spiritual Degrees would tackle some of the difficult issues which most Baha’is sweep under the rug. And bless them, their heart seemed to be in the right place (give or take a few inches). But when when Bones says it’s dead, its dead.

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The trend of podcasting seems to have finally been embraced by Baha’is. As well as Alison’s which I’ve already mentioned, here are a few other ones:

But although this may be relatively new to the Baha’i region of the internet many others have been quite active for a while now. I stumbled upon one such podcast in this blog. It is an interview with a Baha’i describing her personal journey towards the Faith.

The audio clip, at almost an hour, is rather longish. And I also would be remiss if I did not add a cautionary note for listeners with sensitive constitutions: it contains material of a rather graphical nature regarding the wanton masculinity of a certain Burl Barer and its unintended consequences on a hapless young girl. But then again, all is fair in teaching and consolidating, right? Now that you have been duly warned…what are you waiting for? clicky, clicky!

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Baha’i World is a great website for keeping up to date with conferences and such. I’m mentioning it so that more become familiar with it and actually use it so that it can get over the critical mass hump and really become useful. Go ahead and add your local Baha’i activities and events. Get the word out through the internet and you’ll be surprised at how many will show up. Also pass it on to others so they can do the same with their events. Just make sure you put up your event ahead of time to give people a chance to find it and attend.

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Badi has started a personal blog. I’m always happy to read the thoughtful comments of other Baha’is about real substantial matters (not to be confused with the sort of drivel that gets put up on most blogs by Baha’is: I ate pizza… my cat had a bowel movement… etc.). The only thing is Badi’s blog is in Spanish. So if you ‘no habla español’ … get with the Universal Auxiliary Language already !!

Here and There

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In this latest correspondence, Baha’i Rants would like to bring to your attention some interesting little places on the world wide web. Some may make you yawn and others may blow your mind – compelling you to press the little envelope button at the bottom to share the link with your friends. Whatever the outcome, chances are good that this may end up as yet another continuing featurette at Baha’i Rants.

Apparently, it has become de rigueur within Baha’i youth culture today to set up webzines. First we brought to your attention SPIRITUAL DEGREES (which we are happy to add is gearing up for its next issue), and now we stumble onto ONE – a rather upbeat and funky ‘zine which mainly takes a decidedly artistic view of things (you know, poetry, pictures, stories, stuff like that). They even have a blog of their own! This trend is heartening but Baha’i Rants looks forward to the day when real issues of significance to the community are discussed rather than the current fluff articles and banal dibblings of poetry.

As you may know, Baha’i Rants has made some grumbling noises about the lack of action from the Baha’i world community in the field of social and economic development – or the now non-politically correct word charity. But never let it be said that we do not give credit where credit is due:

Border of Darfur, Sudan and Chad

Here is a neat little website created by the Baha’is in the Netherlands, I mean Holland; Dutch . . . yes, Dutch Baha’is (I think that’s what they prefer being called). Its a different take on the usual introductory material, so extra points for creativity. But it might be a little hard to navigate until you realize that those little squares that change color are actually links or menu choices. Once you figure that out, you’re flying. Next time you want to introduce someone to the Faith, be a bit imaginative and give out this link instead of the usual bahai.org URL.

Yahoo!Groups is home to quite a number of interesting Baha’i communities. Some, like the venerable, Talisman, have been going on for some time and others, like Baha’i Monitor, have just started. This new group however, is not for discussions. It’s purpose is to ‘monitor’ and archive news which may be of interest to Baha’is worldwide; and to that end it follows a no nonsense editorial policy (found in the Files section). I think it is commendable project because presently, all formal news channels are under the auspices of the Administration and as such, there is no real ‘freedom of the press’. As well, it makes sense to have a centralized place for all Baha’i news drifting out there in cyberspace.

By nature, Baha’i Rants is rather skeptical (some would even say cynical or jaundiced, or worse) but a visit here left quite an impression. Scientifically speaking, humanity doesn’t know much, really, about this thing called reality. We paw and snap in the dark, like emaciated hyenas, trying to grab something, anything tangible. Maybe this is what Baha’u'llah (and all the other Messengers of God) meant when they insisted upon the unity and interconnectedness of all – that God is one, humanity is one and all the religions are one. Could it be that we truly are ‘one soul’ as Larry Rowe likes to say?


Random or Connected?

To learn more, you might want to start with their own website (click above) or the relevant Wiki page. Some of the experiments and concepts also remind me of the excellent book by Malcolm Gladwell, called Blink. Being a skeptic, I’d like to see a team of statisticians not involved in the project analyse their accumulated data – especially looking for the null hypothesis. Also, one has to remember that correlation doesn’t mean causation – otherwise one would say that eating a lot of ice cream causes hot weather. Until then, I’ll just daydream that it is indeed true – what a world that would be. You, of course, can decide for yourself (independant investigation of truth and all that ball of wax).

We’re Not Worthy

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As I predicted in my entry about the election of Paul Lample to the UHJ, his self-published book Creating a New Mind is drawing a lot of new attention. No doubt all the good little AABMs, ABMs and Counsellors are finished dog-earing their own personal copies by now. Competing with them to praise this singular work is a new Baha’i web magazine.

SPIRITUAL DEGREES, which bills itself as “a Baha’i web magazine for the 5th Epoch”, has started a series of articles which loosely hang well-worn platitudes on Lample’s book. I really can’t see what all the fuss is about since his book just reads like a compilation of various quotes handcuffed together. But then again, that describes most of what comes out of Palabra. Maybe I’m missing something. Or maybe I’m just not worthy to grovel at his munificence, like these other good folks.

The article does contain a few honest remarks though. Its author acknowledges the shifting demographics within the Baha’i community (largely due to failure of the North American Baha’i community to grow – or stop shrinking, as it were) and says “It is clear that contemporary young adults no longer relate in quite the same way as before.” He then asks: “What is it about the evolution of the community [...] that has failed to capture and maintain the interest of young adults?” Indeed.

The author then boldly sets out this goal:

“It is our intention with this magazine to find the revolutionary spirit of this age that will captivate its young adults and inspire them to become active agents of the Bahá’í community.”

Well, I wish him and the rest of the Baha’is behind SPIRITUAL DEGREES the best of luck and will be looking forward to their progress. I sigh and shake my head though, because I know that if they truly do set out to accomplish that goal with single-minded regard for truth, they will be mercilessly crushed by the AO (just like Talisman I, Dialogue, the LA classes, and many individuals before them).

I do applaud their cherubic zeal and look forward to their next missive.

More of the Same

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I noticed that as soon I put up my reply to a message on Baha´i Livejournal it was erased.The moderators of that website have complete control and authority to moderate as they wish, of course. Nevertheless, if they think that this somehow shuts me up (or others like me) or “protects” others from my “subversive” ideas they are mistaken.

Wake up. This is the internet (some even say alluded to by Shoghi Effendi himself). No one can control it. No one. Stop this before you look more and more like the IRI. Right now, all the AO can do is censor ideas off certain websites and send threatening letters. And when or if they have real powers? How many “dissident” Baha´is would be under house-arrest or jailed? I wonder.

Rather than engaging in dialogue with a fellow Baha´i, they choose to censor and shut themselves off. Rather than consulting and exchanging differing ideas (to see if we can cause a spark to fly off), they cocoon themselves in a community of likeminds. No free thinkers allowed!

It is amusing that the readers of Baha´i Livejournal are actually somewhat familiar with my blog. Someone recently even copied and pasted my complete post regarding Oneworldhosts – with the careful attention of not mentioning who wrote that post or where it was found. And another referred to my post on Mona.

So basically, they can take from my blog when it suits their purposes, but I can´t contribute to theirs. Ummm.. yeah, ok.